Artist Statement –
Every Moment Queer History is Surrounding Us- We have Always Been Here
This spring I had the opportunity to create an artwork commissioned for the concert poster of the upcoming performance “Ein anderes Lied” on May 17th, 2026. I was asked to work on this project by Nur Ben Shalom and Francesca Zappa, two incredible musicians who work together on a beautiful remembrance project called Lebensmelodien. This spring it will be a very special concert honouring queer musical presence in a musical journey through Berlin from 1907-1945.
https://www.lebensmelodien.com/konzertkalender/anders-als-die-andern
This painting is called “Every moment Queer History is Surrounding Us-We Have Always Been Here” because I wanted to illustrate the presence of the past and the pioneers that came before us who paved the way into how we as the queer community of Berlin are able to experience the world today. I am so grateful for the existence of my queer and transgender ancestors who lived with such determination to be themselves. Because of their resilience and truth to themselves the next generations have been able to learn from their lives and strengths and organizing powers to build a softer more inclusive future and present. This painting is my tribute to them, and it was such a joy to paint.
Francesca Zappa, who plays the Viola for Lebensmelodien and is on the artistic team gave me the creative vision of the concert poster. She sent me a list of people to depict based on the content of the story being told through the concert. Francesca gave me some visual guidance and pointed to my previous painting of Charlotte and Toni as a reference where I should base my style inspiration.
I was given lots of encouragement to use bright colors, and lean into my playful and colorful style. It was a dream of a commission. So I got started! I created a few initial sketches to see if I was capturing the correct ideas, and once I got confirmation that I was going down the right path, I kept going….
I played around to test out colors together and as part of my sketching I created a few studies and drawings of violins to understand the shape and color of the wood. Francesca sent me some reference photos to use and inspired the drawing of Charlotte’s violin!
And then I started by creating the underpainting on the canvas with bright fluorescent pink.
I used Pink because this color was used to label us with pink triangles
https://arolsen-archives.org/en/news/nazi-persecution-of-queer-people/
I used fluorescent pink to continue in my visual language I have created of bright pink queer places of celebration and growth and joy.
5785/2025-Beys Feygelekh בית פייגעלעך
Throughout the painting process I would take pages from my sketchbook to practice shapes of various things, such as these chairs which appear in my painting. They are inspired by the chairs which appear in many Jeanne Mammen paintings.
Jeanne Mammen Demimonde ,1929
Jeanne Mammen, Lesbos 1928
Jeanne Mammen, Café Nollendorf , 1931
I think it’s all the same chair!
I found color and fashion inspiration from my favorite Otto Dix painting.
The couple dancing in the middle of the painting is an older archival photo, and I took the shoes from this painting since the photo did not show their feet.
George Brassaï, Paris by Night, 1932
There are a lot of other small references I included in the painting that you can notice if you look hard enough!
This is the book on table in front of Hirschfeld
And the table cloth is drawn in the style of this painting by Toni Ebel
Toni Ebel , Zerreißt den Gestellungsbefehl, 1951
The people dancing above Hirschfeld are inspired by this logo for El Dorado
The blue dress in the is inspired by this Max Beckmann Painting
Max Beckmann, Dance in Baden-Baden (Tanz in Baden-Baden), 1923
And the way I set the table in the upper left is inspired by this work
Max Beckmann, Orchideen-Stillleben mit grüner Schale,1943
Other artists that I drew inspiration from in this painting were Lotte Laserstein, Gerda Wagner and Charlotte Salomon.
Annelisa Leinbach helped me with the idea of the shabbat candles on the piano* having some orange glowing effect (*please do not actually put shabbat candles on pianos! It just looked nice in the painting)
I particularly loved these archival photos which gave me so much of the personalities of the people I was painting
Emerging from the bookshelf by Hirshfeld is a vine that grows becomes a rainbow light,illuminating the entire club just like how knowledge creates enlightenment and understanding and a brighter world. And Hirschfeld’s adage ” Per Scientiam ad Justitiam ‘through science to justice’”. The plant is a type of tree of knowledge.
The work progressed from a pink canvas with ghost like white sketches to a colorful party! This was the first time I really captured most of the painting sessions in between stages, and I am glad I did and can see the values of all the layers and small changes that made big impacts!
I would love to know what you noticed or have questions about! It was such a lovely painting to create, and I look forward to making many more works in this style. Group portraits are really fun to paint!
I hope I see you at the concert on May 17th !
Mycelium Memory 